The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1887-12-10

out upon Cne present are DeWlldereQ
by what seems chaos of scenes and
noises. Woman appeals for rights, the
orphans ask to be heard, the newsboys,
the homeless boys present plea, in
dustlial schools are demanded, mission
schools urged; read the novels of Dick
ems, and the cry is for help; read the
works of Tolstoi, and tears are demand
ed over earth's wrongs; then come the
long columns about labor and capital;
but all these voices do not make chaos;
but all tell us that the march of one
century must be the march of all.
The mother cannot fly from burn
ing house and leave her children behind.
The moment one member of the loved
circle reaches safety that one agonizes
for the remnant. With the family all
safe then each servant is sought for,
lest one might be wanting Christ tells
the whole story Of noble civilization
when he speaks of the shepherd whose
hundred sheep are all present except
one. One is lost in the mountains.
| When night falls and the wild beasts
set forth for their prey, sad will be the
lot of that one lamb. He leaves the
ninety and nine and rushes back to the
woods. The possession of ninety and
nine does not give joy enough to deaden
the sorrow over the one that is absent.
Rejoicing is all checked until the shep-
herd comes back with the lost one of the
flock. Then with all in the fold and
the door fastened, night may set in with
all its darkness. Thus, as the modern
heart becomes more Christlike, it re-
fuses all the more to call that happi-
ness or social success which leaves a
few members of the house to pass the
night out i'll the dangerous mountains.
The tumult of the age comes from that
breadth of soul which asks that all may
escape from the burning building. The
few who have reached safety do not
make civilization satisfied with itself.
The lambs in the wild mountains make
load of pain for the heart.
Thus the temperance movement, the
labor and money questions, the debates
about "monopolies" and "trusts," the
philanthropic societies of hundred
forms are efforts of the public con-
science and the public love to seek a
level that they may roll their sweet wa
ter as high in the field of the peasant as
in the park of the king. In London
there are 1000 different associations of
benevolence.
These disburse yearly $40, 900, 600
an effort this to equalize happiness and
eliminate from the world-music some of
its awful discord. Tremendous task,
in the old world, where despotism reign
ed unshackled for 1900 years, and for
1900 years seemed scarcely conscious
of the sentiments of justice and human
| ity.
When Christ was speaking of the
good shepherd, he did not see fit to al
lude to possible half-mad, half-drunk-
en- herdsman, who would not go back
over weary miles though half his flock
were left scattered in thicket and ra-
| vine. But such shepherds as have headed
the human flocks in Europe for almost
twenty centuries, and now when new
Love girds herself for her task, she finds
her twenty millions of money to be only
few drops of water to the thirsty lips
But few drops of water will keep the
wheels of life going until grander res
cue shall come,
In our land the problem is less diff
cult, for here the mitigation of sorrow
began hundred years ago; began in
the government itself; was taken up by
the church, by the public press, by the
high and common literature, and by all
private manhood and womanhood of a
noble grade. Tremendous work re-
mains to be done, but nothing is so
needed by society as great moral task,
provided over that task there falls day
by day the sunlight of hope. The ap-
parent tumult of the benevolent causes
is nothing but the mighty effort Of a
mighty nation to fall into harmony.
The tumult will continue while great
discord shall remain.
Many minds are discouraged by their
own bad survey of the great field. There
is too fixed a gaze at the holders of mill
ions. From this gaze at these brilliant
suns or meteors comes a blindness as
to that symmetry which is coming along
through the higher average of educa-
ton and morals and property. The
symmetry of life must be sought and
found in the multitude of homes where
plenty abounds, where education, in
dustry, taste, love and righteousness
are found under the one roof. There
can never be a society which shall con-
fer upon each citizen enormous wealth.
Mans end CT being is not riches. Hence
while God reigns high civilization
will not make an independence of toll
and want an end to be gained. The
general history of man is, no doubt,
the moderate property which leaves the
mind and heart somewhat dependent
upon the surrounding multitude, still